The 2014-15 season officially got underway for the University of Minnesota women's basketball team last week when it opened preseason camp. It also marked the first week of practice for senior Shae Kelley as a Golden Gopher and her last as a student-athlete. Kelley shared her experience in a guest blog for Gophersports.com:

The first week of practice at the U has been an exciting one, not just for me, but for the team as well. Having a new coaching staff, we were anxious to see how practice would flow. Not to our surprise, the coaches had prepared us for what practice would be like over the summer. But, instead of practice being one hour, it now is 2.5 to 3 hours of intense, but fun, work. We do a lot of full court drills, because the pace we want to play is fast. Much of our practice consists of playing against the scout team, whether it is half court or a full court scrimmage, we always are playing to win. It is very competitive and we appreciate that, because it is only making us better.

We also have plenty of fun as a team. It can't always be all work and no play. Our video shoots are always goofy and fun to be at, and our personalities really come out during these times. Being a fifth-year senior, this is my last go-round and I want to cherish it as much as I can. My focus on the court is more intense than it's ever been and I know that we have the pieces of the puzzle to make a great run this year. I am excited to play my final year of college with this group of ladies and staff.

ICYMI last night, Blake Wheeler didn't waste much time before picking up his first goal of the season in last night's 6-2 win over Arizona in Jets' opener. But frankly he wasted even less time before picking up his second of the year.

The forward scored a pair of goals 15 seconds apart on Friday night including the eventual game winner for Winnipeg. Actually, Wheeler closed out a gap of four goals in less than two minutes between the two teams midway through the first period, but we've got highlights from both of his goals for you -- he added an assist later in the game for good measure.

The Golden Gophers had 14 student athletes assist with Hearts for Hammers on Saturday, Sept. 20 in Minneapolis.

As a part of Gopher Global, Minnesota student-athletes assisted in a renovation on a home of a local disable veteran. The Gopher student-athletes painted, landscaped and fixed household items from 8:00 am to 1:30 pm Saturday in the Bryn Mar neighborhood.

"I really enjoyed volunteering for Hearts and Hammers," cross country's Anne Ferguson said. "We accomplished so much in a short time by painting one of our community's disabled veterans' homes. I really enjoyed speaking with Roy, the homeowner and learning about him and his story. It was great working together with some members of the softball team as well."